Packaging of wheel covers



April 3, 1962 E. A. KEDER ETAL PACKAGING OF WHEEL COVERS Filed April 17,1959 fr-nes f fl. Keder Ber/7 4rd VOe (Va/re 172/5 5.

3,028,003 PACKAGING OF WHEEL COVERS Ernest A. Keder and Bernard V. DeClaire, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Lyon Incorporated, Detroit, Mlch., acorporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 807,076 4 Claims.(Cl. 206-65) The present invention relates to improvements in packagingof a plurality of stacked or nested members in a manner to enablehandling a stack as a unit, and is more particularly concerned withpackaging of automobile wheel covers.

As supplied to the motor car companies, Wheel covers must be protectedagainst damage to the finished surfaces thereof. In addition, it isdesirable to provide packaging which will enable supplying sets of thewheel covers to the respective automobiles as they come oif of theassembly line, the sets of wheel covers being placed in the trunks ofthe automobiles to be applied to the Wheels of the vehicle by thepurchaser or service department of the automobile dealer. Automobilesare generally transported from the factory to the dealer Without thewheel covers applied to the wheels.

Various expedients have been employed including placing sets of thewheel covers in individual cartons, individually bagging each wheelcover, etc., but for the most part such expedients have been undulyexpensive due to any one or a combination of various factors such ascost of the packing material such as cartons or specially made bags,excessive labor costs for packaging due to need for handling, and thelike.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improvedpackaging expedient especially adapted for stacked assemblies such as aset of wheel covers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel package for setsof wheel covers and the like devised to afford ample protection for thefinished surfaces of the covers, providing protection for the edges ofthe covers, and enabling convenient expeditious handling of a set of thecovers as a unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel set-supportingpackage especially adapted for wheel covers and which lends itself Wellto rapid mass production packaging by assembly line and machine methods.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stacked-setpackage for automobile wheel covers enabling the use of flat papersheets without any pro-forming in the entire package.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will bereadily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing,in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a wheel cover package embodying featuresof the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged edge elevational view of the package; and

FIGURE 3 is a substantially enlarged fragmentary sectional detail viewtaken substantially on the line III- Ill of FIGURE 1.

Wheel covers are generally supplied in sets of four for each vehicle.They are highly finished on their outer faces and must therefore becarefully protected in handling to avoid damaging the finish of Suchfaces. Such covers identified at 5 are shown in FIGURE 2. They may be ofthe type disclosed in the patent of George Albert Lyon No. 2,624,634having any preferred face contour and being of circular disk form,provided with circumferential cover retaining means comprising retainingfingers 7 of the type having notched terminal flanges 3,028,003 PatentedApr. 3, 1962 for retainingly gripping a tire rim flange when applied tothe vehicle wheel.

According to the present invention, packaging of the set of wheel covers5 is effected quite simply, compactly and inexpensively by providingupper and lower paper sheet panels 8 and interleaf or separator papersheet panels 9, the wheel covers being assembled in a substantiallyconcentric stack. Securing means conveniently comprising staples 10attach the several paper sheets together in laminar relation about theperiphery of the stack of wheel covers 5.

Each of the top and bottom or face sheets 8 and the separator sheets 9is originally of preferably polygonal form such as square, and all ofthe sheets may be of about the same size. However, we have found thatonly the facing sheets 8 need be possessed of particular structural ortear strength While the separator sheets 9 should he possessed of highcushioning protective characteristics and need not be possessed ofspecial tear strength. Of course, if preferred, all of the sheets 8 and9 may be of equal quality. In a desirable form, the facing sheets 8comprise a suitable kraft paper, in this instance a 40 to 60 lb. paperhaving been found well suited for the purpose. On the other hand, theseparator sheets 9 have been found desirable where they comprise a boguscrepe paper, about 70 lb. weight having been found excellent for thepurpose.

In assembling the components of the package, one of the wheel covers 5is laid against one of the facing or cover sheets 8, then one of theseparator sheets 9 is laid on the wheel cover, another one of the wheelcovers 5 is laid thereupon, another of the facing sheets 9 is laid onthe second wheel cover, the third wheel cover is laid thereon, the thirdseparator sheet is laid thereupon and then the final or fourth wheelcover 5 is stacked thereagainst and finally the second facing or coversheet 8 is laid upon the fourth wheel cover. At least the corners of thecover sheets 8 are lappingly aligned, but for neatness and maximumefficiency the corners of the separator 9 are included in the lappedassembly.

As the last step in assembling the package, the lappingly alignedcorners of the sheets 8 and 9 are secured together in cover stackretaining relation as by driving the staples 16 by means of a suitablestapling machine through the assembled sheets as close as practicableadacent to the perimeter of the stack of covers 5 as best seen inFIGURES l and 2, thereby drawing the cover sheets 8 reasonably snuglytogether and securing all of the sheets into a unit confining the stackof the covers 5 within the fastened corners of the sheet assembly.

By having the size of the package sheets 8 and 9 sufficiently largerthan the diameter of the covers 5, as best shown in FIGURE 1, there isample projecting overlap beyond the perimeter of the stack of covers notonly at the corners of the sheets but also between the corners toprovide an ample protective package margin entirely about the stack ofcovers, with substantial tolerance for some eccentricity of the stackrelative to the secured package sheets. Even though in between thesecured corners of the sheets the edges of the package may be left openas best seen in FIGURE 2 the radially outwardly projecting marginalportions of the multiple package sheets 8 and 9 beyond the perimeter ofthe covers 5 afford ample protective buffer for most purposes since onrelative engagement of any side of the package with an unyieldingobject, the flexible package sheets yield in a more or less crumplingmanner toward the edges of the covers and thus provide protectivebarrier and cushion, not only to protect the edges of the covers and theretaining fingers 7, but also to protect the abutting object againstdamage from possibly sharp edges or corners of the retaining fingerterminals. It will be appreciated that this is a desirable protectiverelationship in the trunk of an automobile wherein the package of coversis loosely deposited and may be subject to some shifting and buffetingin the course of transportation of the vehicle.

It may also be observed that the corner portions of the secured packagesheets aflord convenient handles for manipulation of the package. Thisis implemented by the flexible nature of the package sheets 8 and 9 sothat a good, solid grasp can be secured upon any one of the cornersserving as a handle.

The flexible nature of the package sheets 3 and 9 is an advantageousfeature since they will thus yield readily to the form of the packagedarticles. Thus, the interleaving or separator sheets 9 permitinternesting of the wheel covers 5 by readily conforming to the contoursthereof, and the cover sheets 8 readily adapt themselves to the outsideof the stack of covers as the corners are drawn toward one another andthe covers tightened against the stack incident to fastening together ofthe corners of the sheets. By virtue of their high tear resistance, thecover sheets 8 will withstand substantial pulls and pressures,especially Where they are engaged by the staples 10, without tearing. Onthe other hand, when the package is to be opened the cover sheets canwith some facility be torn free at one or more corners from the stapleconnectors 10.

Another advantage of the instant package is its adaptability for packingin the barest minimum of space for bulk shipment and storage. by packinga predetermined number of the packages in a packing carton, the highlyflexible margins of the package readily yielding to be accommodated in aminimum size carton and the entire space occupied by the package beinghardly in excess of space requirement for the stack of covers 5themselves.

Where circumstances require, a flexible material of substantiallyincreased tear and bursting strength may be employed in the cover sheets8, for example cloth-reinforced paper, a fiber strand reinforced paper,a reinforced plastic sheet material, and the like. For any givenrequirements, however, the least expensive material that willsatisfactorily meet service conditions should be selected.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a package of wheel covers, a stacked plurality of wheel covers,the covers having cushioning separator sheets therehetween protectingthe surfaces of the covers, the opposite ends of the stack having hightear strength flexible cover sheets applied thereto, said separatorsheets and said cover sheets having overlapping corner portions on themargins thereof projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of thestack of covers, and disposed in laminar relation, and staples securingsaid corner portions in laminar relation, the staples being disposed asThis is conveniently doneclose as practicable to the stack of covers forthereby drawing the cover sheets firmly against the opposite ends of thestack and acting to hold the sheets in cover stack retaining relation.

2. In a package of Wheel covers, a stacked plurality of wheel covers,the covers having cushioning separator sheets therebetween protectingthe surfaces of the covers, the opposite ends of the stack having hightear strength flexible cover sheets applied thereto, said separatorsheets and said cover sheets having overlapping corner portions on themargins thereof projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of the.stack of covers, and disposed in laminar relation, and staples securingsaid corner portions in laminar relation, the staples being disposed asclose as practicable to the stack of covers for thereby drawing thecover sheets firmly against the opposite ends of the stack and acting tohold the sheets in cover stack retaining relation, said separator andcover sheets having marginal portions thereof between the cornersprojecting beyond the perimeter of the stack and serving as protectivebuffers for the stack of covers.

3. In a package of stacked articles of substantial diameter, protectiveseparator sheets between the articles, the separator sheets havingmarginal portions projecting substantially beyond the perimeter of thearticles, high tear strength cover sheets applied to the opposite endsof the stack of articles, said cover sheets having marginal portionsprojecting beyond the perimeter of the articles, said marginal portionsof the separator sheets and of the cover sheets being drawn together inlaminar relation, and means securing the laminar marginal portions ofthe separator and cover sheets together and thereby maintaining theseparator and cover sheets in stack-retaining relation.

4. In a package comprising a plurality of stacked articles ofsubstantial diameter, cushioning separator sheets between the articlesand protecting the surfaces of the articles, high tear strength flexiblecover sheets applied to the opposite ends of the stack of articles, saidseparator sheets and said cover sheets having overlapping cornerportions on the margins thereof projecting substantially beyond theperimeter of the stack of articles, and disposed in laminar relation,and means securing said corner portions in said laminar relation, saidmeans being disposed as close as practicable to the stack of articlesfor thereby maintaining the cover sheets firmly against the oppositeends of the stack and acting to hold the separator and cover sheets instack-retaining relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,126,185 Friedl Aug. 9, 1938 2,151,486 Ramel et al Mar. 21, 19392,602,543 Teufel July 8, 1952 2,776,772 Tamotsu Itoda Jan. 8, 1957FOREIGN PATENTS 1,060,535 France Apr. 2, 1954

